Ain't No Hollaback Girl
by Laburnum Steelfang
Summary: Kinkmeme deanon, Gakuen AU, FTM!China. Chun Yan is going through some changes, and his classmates aren't getting it.
1. Chapter 1

Arthur first noticed something was odd when he saw Chun Yan's hair. It had taken him a while to realise, but it was getting shorter, bit by bit. She'd stopped wearing the twin-bun do and let her hair fall loose. A week ago it had brushed her thighs, and now the tips didn't reach the top of her belt.

She caught him staring in their English class one day. "Is something wrong?"

"Not exactly. I was just wondering what's up with your hair - I mean, it looks lovely, as always," Arthur corrected himself, chuckling nervously, "but it seems to be getting shorter."

"Oh, you noticed? Yes, I wanted it shorter, but I've had it long forever, so I was just cutting a little off every day to get used to it."

"Oh, really? How short are you going to take it?"

Chun Yan shrugged. "Don't know. Just ... shorter. I don't like it long anymore."

Now Arthur looked at her, she seemed tired. Dull-eyed. He cleared his throat and asked hesitantly "Um, I know we didn't break up on the best of terms-" (he'd blamed her when Headmistress Tierra had caught them smoking the previous year, and she'd blacked both his eyes and dumped him on the spot) "-but if something's wrong, you know you can always tell me, right?"

"Nothing's wrong!" she insisted. "I'm feeling ... kind of odd, but not iwrong./i Not really." She smiled. "In fact, I think I'm starting to feel more right than ever."

* * *

Elizabeta found Chun Yan in the bathroom with a roll of bandages. Her shirt was off, and she was swearing as she tried to wrap the bandages around her chest and kept dropping the ends.

"What the heck are you doing?"

"Failing," Chun Yan muttered. "Could you give me some help? I think I need an extra pair of hands."

Elizabeta pulled the bandages tight around Chun Yan's chest. "Why?"

"I wanted to see what I'd look like without boobs."

"Ha ha. What's the real reason?"

Chun Yan scowled. "That is the real reason. I was curious."

"Ohh-kay." Elizabeta shrugged. "Not my business what you do with your boobs."

* * *

There was a murmur of surprise around the football team and cheerleading squad alike when Chun Yan showed up to practice in shorts.

"Miss Wang, what are you wearing?" Coach Vargas demanded, tapping his foot.

"Boy's uniform, Mr Vargas," Chun Yan replied. "I looked it up. Technically, the rule doesn't say the cheerleading uniforms have to be gender-specific."

"Darn, you mean I could have worn a skirt?" muttered Feliks, looking down at his own shorts. Feliciano, the only other male cheerleader, giggled.

"Why?" asked the coach, raising an eyebrow.

"I like shorts better."

Coach didn't press the issue. After the post-practice shower, Chun Yan asked Elizabeta for help binding her chest again. Elizabeta did, not sure how best to ask why.


	2. Chapter 2

**Should probably warn that this chapter contains teenage boys being sexist little buggers. Just pointing out that I don't share their views. Also, yes, "Mr Long" is Dragon. Fandom needs a lot more Dragon.**

* * *

"Have you guys noticed something off about Chun Yan?" Gilbert said to his friends, casting a sideways glance at the next table. Chun Yan sat there alone, picking at her food. He noticed she seemed to have switched her uniform shirt to the next size up, and not that he'd have admitted to looking but her chest seemed even flatter than before under it. Her hair was shorter than ever, though still below her shoulders, pulled back in a simple ponytail. She wore no makeup; she hadn't ever worn much usually, but now she didn't even seem to have used chapstick.

"Hm, she looks sad," said Francis, idly poking his fork at his carrots.

"I know she's been hanging around Mr Long's office a lot," Antonio said. Mr Long, the student counsellor, was a close friend of Chun Yan's parents, and she was close enough with him that she'd always called him Uncle, but those students related to staff members tended to avoid them rather than seek them out, with the exception of Feliciano hanging off his Uncle Romulus at sports practice. Not many of the students liked Mr Long; he always had an odd scowl on his face, and smoked like a chimney. Chun Yan loved him very much, but didn't usually go to see him during the school day.

"Yeah," said Gilbert. "I'm just wondering about her, I've heard rumours going round. Vash said she asked him for tips on saving money, said she needed to save up for something important. And Liz said that Chun Yan was asking for help to bandage her chest up after cheerleading practice."

"Maybe she's joined a street-fighting gang? She is pretty big on that kung fu thing," Antonio suggested. The others laughed, before realising he was serious.

"... Yeah, that's not too likely, Toni. Maybe she's binding her tits because they got bigger and she's looking fat?"

"Of course you'd focus on her breasts, you crude little monster," said Francis, poking Gilbert. He thought for a moment, and his eyes widened. "Hiding breasts, needing money, looking depressed, seeing the counsellor? Oh mon dieu ... Chun Yan is _pregnant."_

Antonio and Gilbert blinked. "What?" Gilbert glanced over at Chun Yan. "No way!"

"Think about it!" Francis insisted. "She'd need money for the baby. She might be binding her chest because it's getting bigger. I saw her at cheerleading practice, and she was wearing shorts. Maybe she's trying to cover herself up more so nobody sees she's getting fat?"

Antonio frowned. "I don't know, the shorts don't cover much more than the skirt."

"Ha, tell me about it ... no, what am I saying? The poor girl's in a delicate state, she doesn't need us leering!"

"What's with the haircut, then?" Gilbert wondered.

"That much hair takes time to look after," Francis said, running a hand proudly through his own hair. "She wouldn't have time after the birth."

"Awww," Antonio cooed to himself. "She'd have such a cute baby ... Whose d'you think it is?"

"Well, don't look at me! I'm always careful, and it's been more than nine months since I was with her anyway."

"Not me either."

"We figured. She's a bit old for you. Like, ten years too old." Antonio spluttered indignantly while Francis and Gilbert snickered. "See, it's funny because you're a paedophile," Gilbert added helpfully.

Antonio smacked Gilbert with his milk carton. "Lovi's only three years younger than me, and I'd never cheat on him! What about you?"

"It's not mine! I'd never leave a girl knocked up."

"Yes, we all know you're a virgin, Gilbert."

"Oh _fuck you."_


	3. Chapter 3

Elizabeta caught Chun Yan's shoulder as they left the maths classroom. "Chun Yan, I kind of need to ask you something. You don't have to answer if you don't want to ... maybe we should go somewhere more private."

As Chun Yan followed Elizabeta, Francis peered around the corner and poked Antonio. "See, see? Elizabeta suspects too!" He looked at Chun Yan's back as she walked away, noticing the outline of bandages under her shirt. "Oh, I hope she doesn't start binding her stomach too, that could hurt the baby ... still, she doesn't seem to be showing a lot, maybe she won't need to."

In the girls' toilets, Chun Yan leaned against the wall, trying to look nonchalant. "So what is it?"

Elizabeta took a deep breath. "Are you a boy?"

Chun Yan was silent for a long time, looking everywhere but at Elizabeta's face, and finally responded with an almost-silent "... Not enough of one." It was really quite a relief to tell someone.

Elizabeta relaxed. "Okay, sorry I had to be so blunt, but I thought you could do with a friend."

"What do you know about it?" Chun Yan asked, trying not to sound as defensive as he felt.

Elizabeta shuffled her feet. "Um, remember how I always get changed in the shower cubicle?"

Chun Yan stared at her until the penny dropped. "Holy crap! You have a-"

Elizabeta clasped a hand over Chun Yan's mouth and hissed "Keep it down! Yes. Very understanding parents, I've been on hormone blockers since I was seven."

Chun Yan pulled away. "Does anyone else know?"

"The teachers do, it's down in my files, and they're all okay. My parents picked this school because it's one of the most progressive they could find."

"Heh, that's kind of a relief. My uncle's okay with it, but I was worried about everyone else."

"Uh, I wouldn't recommend spreading it about just yet. Just because school policy's okay with it doesn't mean the students will be," Elizabeta warned. "I still haven't told anyone else about me, not even Roderich."

"Huh, guess the Ice King's celibacy pledge has its uses," Chun Yan chuckled, and clutched his cheek as Elizabeta slapped him.

"Don't talk about my boyfriend that way!"

"Ow! Okay, sorry. Uh, thanks for everything. I won't tell anyone if you don't."

"Cool. Now we should be going, we're late for lunch and you probably shouldn't be in the girls' bathroom," said Elizabeta, grinning.

The two headed for the cafeteria, laughing and chatting as they went.


	4. Chapter 4

"So what do you think of the name Yao for a boy?" Chun Yan asked, wiping vanilla pudding off his lip.

"Been watching _Mulan_?" asked Elizabeta.

"Not just that! It means 'glorious'."

Elizabeta thought. "Mm, yeah. Sounds nice." She glanced around and whispered quietly enough for nobody to overhear "Mine was just Eli. Parents wanted something similar enough not to confuse me, since I was so young." Chun Yan, or Yao, nodded sympathetically.

Gilbert, hiding unsubtly behind a Superman comic at the next table, kicked Antonio in the ankle.

"Ow! What was that for?"

"Weren't you listening? Chun Yan's asking about baby names!" Gilbert hissed. "Francis was right!"

"Of course I was!" said Francis smugly. "See, we'll be having a visit from the stork soon enough."

"Hm, pity she's not naming it after the father, then we'd know who it was. How far along d'you think she is?" Antonio mused.

"Mm ... I haven't seen her with anyone since she broke up with Arthur last year, so if it's his, four or five months? No, maybe not, she'd be showing more by now ..."

"Well, seems like she's decided to keep it, if she's naming it." Antonio sounded worried. "I hope she's up to it. Babies are hard work."

"She'll be fine!" Gilbert assured him. "I don't know her that well, but Kiku's known her for years and he says she's tough."

"Yeah, but what do her parents think? Being tough can only get her so far if she gets kicked out of her home. And what's the school going to think?"

"... That's a point." Gilbert tapped the straw from his juice carton on his teeth, nervously. "I know it's not our problem, but I feel bad leaving a lady in distress."

"Oui, we can't leave the poor girl to fend entirely for herself," Francis said, nodding sagely. "Babies aren't my area of expertise, though - I lean more towards making them than raising them, hahaha." He wiggled his eyebrows knowingly and both his companions jabbed him in the ribs. "Ow! Hey. Seriously, we should probably try to direct her somewhere she can get some real help."

"Yeah, that's nice and all, but we can't let her know we're onto her! She'll kill us!" Gilbert protested.

Francis stroked the fluff on his chin; he tended to grow it until the teachers caught him and instructed him to start shaving again. "Hmm ..."

* * *

"Okay, who left American Pregnancy Association printouts all over my classroom?" said Mrs Karpusi the art teacher, scowling uncharacteristically and tapping her foot. "If it's some kind of smart-aleck comment about my weight, I don't appreciate it."

Yao had sat beside Elizabeta instead of Ivan for once, and so didn't notice that there were three printouts instead of one at his usual seat.

Gilbert, Francis, and Antonio looked at each other and exchanged grins.


	5. Chapter 5

"Oh, and I got you the permission slip. You can start wearing pants now." Mr Long handed over the slip to Yao, who looked at it as if it was made of gold. Happy tears came to his eyes, and he smiled in thanks. "You sure you don't want me to ask about moving you into the boys' dorm yet?"

"No, let's go one step at a time. Like you said, this is a pretty big thing. I've only told Liz so far." Yao got up and threw his arms around the counsellor's neck. "Thank you, Uncle Wei, thank you!"

"Hey, hey, remember what I told you about professionalism, kid," said Mr Long, smiling and gently pushing Yao away. "Nice to know you're still not too manly to hug your old uncle."

Yao laughed. "Okay, same time next week?"

"That's fine. Your T shots should have arrived by then, right?" Yao nodded. "Okay, they'll come through my mail and I'll give them to you here. Can't really inject yourself in the dorms. Well, see you then, and good luck. Oh, one more piece of advice, kid; rolled-up socks aren't convincing."

Yao looked down at the groin-level bulge under his much-hated skirt and blushed. "Yeah, but I can't afford a proper packer yet. I just wanted to see what it felt like."

"Fine, but at least stick to one pair. You're fooling nobody."

Yao headed to the door, and stopped with his hand on the handle. "Um. Uncle? If I tell Mama and Dad and ... things don't go well ... can I stay at your place?"

Mr Long looked at him sympathetically. "Of course you can, kiddo. But let's not worry about that yet, okay? You don't have to tell them till you're ready."

"Okay." Yao swallowed the lump in his throat. "Maybe I should tell the twins. They've already noticed something's up, I'll have to tell them some time ... Think I can trust them not to spill?"

"Hm." Mr Long sat back in his chair, tapping the desk thoughtfully. "Xiang, yes. I don't know if he'll like it, but he'll keep quiet if you ask him to. Heck, it's hard enough to get the kid to talk in the first place. Mei ... I don't know. She's not a bad kid, but she might let something slip if she gets mad at you again. If I were you, I'd tell Xiang first."

"Okay. Yeah. I can do this ..." Yao breathed deeply. "Well, maybe I'll give it a few days."

"Take as long as you need," said Mr Long, standing up to show him out. "And good luck."


	6. Chapter 6

"Hey, uh, Katya? We need your expert girl advice on something."

Katya blinked at Antonio and his two friends in confusion. "On what?"

"Um, well, there's a girl we know, and we think she's got problems."

"What sort of problems?"

"... We think she's pregnant."

Katya was shocked. "What? Oh, I knew this would happen, you silly boys!"

"What? No! It's not one of ours!" Gilbert protested frantically.

"Really? Then why do you care?"

"Hey, just because we like looking at girls doesn't mean we don't also want to help them if they need it!" Gilbert struck a dramatic pose.

"Chivalry is not yet dead, ma'am!"

"Besides, she's my ex," Francis added. "Too long ago for it to be mine, but I still have an obligation to her as a friend!"

Antonio looked at him strangely. "Didn't she shove your head in the trashcan and stomp on your crotch when she caught you making out with Kim Trung?"

Francis waved a hand. "Yes, yes, but that's all in the past now."

Katya giggled nervously. "I don't know, maybe you shouldn't get involved."

"But she needs all the help she can get!" Francis begged. "Poor girl, we're pretty sure she's keeping the baby since we heard her trying to name it, and it's so hard to be a young single mother. Surely you have some advice?"

"Well," Katya said, furrowing her brow. "Maybe just offer her some help with her homework? You could discuss it with her then in private?" The boys nodded, then waited expectantly for further information. "Um. Tell her you'll help her with anything if she needs it? I think she'd be insulted if you got too pushy if it's definitely not yours, but she'll probably appreciate friendship."

"I don't know, that doesn't really seem like enough..." Gilbert said.

"Sheesh, I thought it was Alfred who had the hero complex."

"What was that, Toni?"

"Nothing. Thanks for your help, Katya." The trio slunk off, whispering animatedly. Katya was sure she heard the words "baby shower" in there, and shook her head in frustration. Nobody ever listened to her.

Maths class was a blur, as Katya attempted to focus on her work while worrying. She wondered which unfortunate girl the boys had been talking about. Wait, what had Antonio said about her beating up Francis?... Chun Yan, that was the girl, that story had gone all around the school. She glanced over at the classmate in question, trying to gauge any increase in her girth which might prove the trio right.

"What's wrong?" Natalya asked her in a whisper from the next desk, brow wrinkling. She didn't like to see her sister unhappy.

"Oh, I was just a little worried about Chun Yan ..." Katya recounted the story, fiddling nervously with her hairband.

Natalya listened, smiling. Yong-Soo would be very interested.


	7. Chapter 7

Yao was very surprised to find Arthur outside the infirmary, nursing a black eye and a sprained wrist. Beside him stood Im Yong-Soo, a first-year who had followed Yao, or rather Chun Yan, around like a puppy all semester. At this moment, he was trying to staunch a bloody nose with a handful of tissues and, when those were inadequate, his sleeve.

"What happened?"

"Your pet fresher here," Arthur hissed, pointing at Yong-Soo, "decided to take it upon himself to show me the error of my ways, and he's stronger than he looks."

"'Error of' ..." Yao looked at Yong-Soo. "What?"

"Well, he dumped you!" Yong-Soo said, muffled by a wad of tissues. "That's a horrible thing to do to a pregnant girl."

Yao rolled his eyes. "Kid,_ I_ dumped _him_ ... wait, what?!"

"Well, I heard he was your last boyfriend. But I guess I got the timing wrong - sorry, Arthur. You look really good, though, Chun Yan, you're not showing at all!"

Yao gaped at Yong-Soo. "You think I'm _pregnant?"_

"I told him it wasn't mine if you were!" Arthur interrupted. "He just punched me harder!"

"You know, if you need any support, I'm here," Yong-Soo said sweetly, putting a hand on Yao's shoulder.

Yao ignored Arthur and shoved Yong-Soo away. _"Why_ do you think I'm pregnant?"

"I heard it from Natalya who heard it from her sister, then again from my sister who heard it from Michelle, and they both say they heard it from Francis," the boy explained. A nasty gleam appeared in Yao's eyes. Yong-Soo shrank backwards and mumbled "I take it you're not pregnant? Um, in that case, you really ought to go to Chemistry Room 1, like, now. I was supposed to take you there, but I have to get this broken nose dealt with."


End file.
